18 May 2017 Current Affairs
David Letterman wins Mark Twain Prize – 2017 for American humour
David Letterman, who was the longest running host of late night TV shows in the United States, was on 17 May 2017 awarded with the Mark Twain Prize 2017 for American humour. With this, Letterman became the 20th humorist to receive the Prize. Letterman hosted over 6000 late night shows in 33 years on the air. He won 10 Emmy awards. His final show in May 2015 drew an audience of 13.8 million people.
Veteran actress Reema Lagoo passes Away
Veteran Bollywood actress Reema Lagoo died on 18 May 2017 at Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai. She reportedly suffered a massive cardiac arrest. She was 59. Lagoo who appeared in several hindi and Marathi Films also acted in numerous television shows like Tu Tu Main Main and Shrimaan Shrimati. She played a role of a mother in several Bollywood films like Maine Pyar Kiya, Aashiqui, saajan, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and so on. She had a presence on Marathi stage for nearly four decades.
Mohammad Anas breaks 400m National Record
Mohammad Anas from Kerala has breaked the national record in men’s 400 m race and won a gold medal at the third leg of the Indian Grand Prix Athletics Meet in New Delhi. He finished the race in 45.32 seconds at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. He also qualified for the World Championships to be held in London in August. Rajiv Arokia and Sachin Baby were second and third in 46.32 seconds and 47.18 seconds respectively.
Sanjay Gubbi and Purnima Barman win Whitley Awards 2017
Two Indian Nature Activists Sanjay Gubbi and Purnima Barman on 18 May 2017 won the annual Whitley Awards, popularly known as “Green Oscars”, for their Works in the field of animal and bird conservation in India. These two Indians are among six global winners of the award shortlisted from 166 entries. Each winner will receive 35000 pounds prize money in project funding over the year.
Indian Scientist Shrinivas Kulkarni wins Dan David Prize 2017
Indian Scientist Shrinivas Kulkarni on 18 May 2017 won the Israel’s prestigious Dan David Prize 2017 for his contribution in the field of astronomy. He was awarded in the “Future’ Category which is dedicated to astronomy this year. He will share the award with Andrzej Udalski of the University of Warsaw and Neil Gehrels of NASA for their discoveries on time-domain astrophysics. Kulkarni is a professor of astrophysics and planetary science at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
World AIDS Vaccine Awareness Day May 18
World AIDS Vaccine Day takes place on May 18, 2017. The day, also known as HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, is observed annually. HIV Vaccine advocates mark the day by promoting the continued urgent need for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS. The first World AIDS Vaccine Day was observed on May 18, 1998, to commemorate the anniversary of Clinton’s speech, and the tradition continues today. Each year communities around the globe hold a variety of activities on World AIDS Vaccine Day.